Improvement in fire-escapes



'D. OTTINGER. Fire-Escape.

No. 200,665. Patented Feb. 26,1878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLASS OTTINGER, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN Fl RE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,665, dated February 26, 1878; application filed December 26, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLASS OTTINGER, of Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompan yin g drawings.

The object of my invention is to enable persons to escape from the upper parts of buildings through the windows or other apertures, or from the roof, in case of fire or other accident rendering such a means of escape necessary.

Figure 1 shows the looped rope employed by me. Fig. 2 shows the rubber clutches to be used in connection with the rope. 'Fig. 3 shows the looped rope with the sleeve in a different position.

I employ a ropepreferably made of gilltwine-of sufficient thickness to support a weight of three hundred pounds when lowered from any height under seventy-five feet. I use this kind of rope because it gives the greatest known rope strength for its size, and because of its superior portableness, a section of it suitable for an ordinary fire-escape being stowable within the space in a travelers satchel ordinarily occupied by a couple pairs of socks, and weighing only about a pound and a half.

I construct my fire escape by taking a section of this gill-twine, E, and making a fixed loop, A, at one end of it, of a size ample enough to easily admit the body of the largest man. This fixed loop A has thereon a slide or'sleeve, B, adapted to slip snugly along said loop, while encompassing the body of the wearer, and limit the size of the loop as desired. I then construct a pair of clutches, G, from ordinary rubber cloth, leather, clear rubber, or other suitable material, by cutting the same into squares large enough to cover the inside of ones hand, and providing these squares with elastic or other bands or wristlets D, to assist in keeping them in place when used.

In case of fire I use my invention thus: I first wet the rope, if water is conveniently at hand, water serving to increase its strength, and to render it less inflammable. Then, if assisting another person to escape, I slip the loop A over his head, so as to bring it around his chest, just beneath his arms, and slip the sleeve up close to the body. I then place the clutches O D upon my hands and pay out the rope as the escaping person backs out through the window or other aperture, protecting the rope meanwhile from friction against the window-sill or other substance by placing a pillow, mattress, or other suitable article thereon.

If using it for my own escape, I attach the looped end to my body, as before described, then attach the other end of the rope to a bed-frame or other suitable article in the room from which I am escaping, and then, using the clutches, I back out, clinging to the rope and lowering myself in the ordinary manner.

I claim as my invention- 1. The improved fire-escape apparatus herein described, consisting of the gill-twine or other rope, E, having the loop A and the slide or sleeve B,and the friction clutch-pieces 0, substantially as specified.

2. In a fire-escape, the gill-twine rope E, having the fixed loop A and the sleeve B, constructed and arranged to operate as shown and described.

DOUGLASS OTTINGER.

Witnesses:

O. G. CONVERSE, T. J. HASKINSON. 

